Nice One James!
by Natalie-taliena
Summary: OK, so this was going to be a "one-shot" about James, Remus and Sirius getting into a fight with Bellatrix, but it's now morphed into a story of James Potter and Lliy Evans... funny how that happens sometimes...
1. Chapter 1

James Potter and Sirius Black had just walked out of the Great Hall, laughing loudly, barely able to stand upright.

"What's so funny?" Asked Remus Lupin suspiciously, coming down the stairs and meeting them in the marble hallway.

"I -- she -- it -- ha ha ha ha ... Be- Bell- Bella--" Choked Sirius, pointing into the Great Hall behind him as James took deep breaths in a fruitless attempt to sober up.

Remus frowned at the pair, "What did you do this time?" he asked, wearily, but did not have to wait long to find out, as Bellatrix Black, Sirius Black's cousin, came storming out of the Great Hall, looking dishevelled and extremely angry.

"YOU!" She shouted pointing dramatically at James and Sirius as she made her way through the crowded Hall with some difficulty.

Bellatrix Black was tall and slim, with striking black hair and rather heavy-lidded eyes.

"Me?" Repeated Sirius in mock politeness.

"No! She was talking to _me_ you idiot!" Chuckled James, pushing Sirius, then jumping out of the way as a streak of silver light went shooting towards him. Students in the Hall fell silent, backing away, and many people were now running up the marble staircase, either trying to get out of the way, or get a safe view of the duel they knew was moments away

"YOU ABSOLUTE MORONS!!! FILTHY BLOOD-TRAITORS, THE PAIR OF YOU!" Screamed Bellaxtrix attempting to throw another curse at James and Sirius

"I don't think she likes us very much," laughed James, lazily pulling up a defensive shield with a flick of his wand.

"Yes, I get that impression sometimes..." Sirius grinned, "_Tarangellenta_!"

Bellatrix was thrown backwards, twitching and shrieking from Sirius's Hex

"Good one Sirius!" Yelled James, shooting a spell at a large Slytherin, one of many now advancing on them with his or her wand drawn.

Bellatrix was now on her feet, unnoticed by either of them, not even Remus, who had got dragged into the fight, and was now throwing tickling charms at the Slytherins.

"Come on Remus, you can do better than that!" Yelled Sirius, taking his eyes off the battle for a moment to look at Remus, but he had picked the wrong moment. Bellatrix was standing near him, and with a wave of her wand, he was thrown onto his back, and Bellatrix's face contorted with fury, she lifted her wand to cast another curse,

"_Cru_-!" She was suddenly thrown up into the air, sprouting antlers, James having attacked her.

"Nice one, James!" Laughed Sirius in relief, jumping to his feet, itching to get back into battle, he looked up and saw Peter Pettigrew, a fellow Gryffindor up on the banister, watching the fight. "Get down here and help us fight, Wormtail!" he shouted up at him, but Wormtail, simply shook his head and leant back, to make absolutely sure he was not going to get hit.

_What a moron_... though James as he cast another lock-leg curse at some passing Slytherins.

"Protectego!" Sirius shouted just in time to block a curse from Bellatrix who seemed to be prepared to fight, tooth and nail, until the bitter end.

"_Levicorpus_!" Muttered James, pointing at her, and she was hoisted into the air as though strung up by her ankle, comically hanging upside down, giving everyone in the hallway a good view of her purple underwear.

A shout of laughter issued from the various Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, and even the Slytherins seemed to struggled to conceal their grins.

"_Finite Incantatem_!" Someone had shouted, and everything stopped for a moment, before issuing into chaos; jinxed legs sprang apart, as people toppled over, those who were laughing fit to burst suddenly stopped, and Bellatrix fell to the floor gracelessly as though suddenly released.

Professor Lipstitch was standing there, looking furious, his wand raised, eyes flashing dangerously.


	2. Chapter 2

Two weeks had passed since the duel in the Enterance Hall, and James, Sirius, Remus, Narcissa, Bellatrix, and countless other students had finally served out their detentions and were looking forward to a long-awaited and well-deserved trip into Hogsmead.

"Two weeks until the full moon!" Complained Sirius, "wish it'd hurry up..."

"You might," muttered Remus darkly, as the line moved forward slightly.

"So... where do you want to go today?" Asked James brightly, that tiny smile still on his mind.

"Dunno... I'm bored of Horsmead" yawned Sirius, "we should go somewhere else..."

"Err, well how about-" He broke off suddenly, listening hard.

"...Three Broomsticks around two..." Lily Evans's voice carried over to him from the front, where she stood with some friends, chatting animatedly.

"Tell you what, why don't we go into Zonko's, I'm all out of itching powder, then go to Honeydukes..."

"What do you want to go to Honeyduke's for? You've still got loads of stuff left," Said Wormtail, looking up at James, looking confused.

"I know I have, but-" James broke off suddenly, frowning, "how do you know? Have you been raiding my bedside drawer again?!"

"W-well raiding is such a-a _strong _word, I mean, I-"

"You little rat!" James pushed him, "I'm going to Hex that drawer, Wormtail, I swear!"

"You wouldn't want to go to Honeyduke's for some special sweets for a certain redhead's birthday that's coming up, would you?" Asked Sirius, smirking.

"You read my mind..." James grinned broadly, "after that, we could wander around a bit, then go to the Three Broomsticks around, I don't know... two-ish?" He suggested in an off-hand way.

"Whatever you want Prongs," Sirius said grinning. He had also heard what Lily had said.

At three minutes to two that afternoon, James was hurrying towards the Three Broomsticks, with Sirius, Remus and Peter behind him, looking annoyed and tired.

"You know, I'm all for love, and you and Lily and everything... but you have got to get a better hold of the time, Prongs!" Panted Sirius, holding a stitch on his side, and slowing down to a walk as they reached the pub, and watched James stop outside, looking annoyed and ruffling up his hair. "How do I look?"

"Gorgeous. Now shut up and get in there!" Sirius shoved James through the door into the pub, so that James tripped as he fell through the door, almost falling flat on his face. Straightening up, he saw that Lily still hadn't arrived, which meant, he though, relief flooding through him, that she hadn't witnessed him tripping either.

"Hello Rosemerta!" James called loudly down the bar at the pretty landlady, who looked up, and seeing who had called her, broke into a smile.

"Hello, m'dear. How are you?" She smiled warmly as Sirius and Remus joined him, and Wormtail hung back, unable to get to the bar, he looked annoyed and jealous.

"Couldn't be better, darling. I hope you feel as good as you look." James grinned broadly, and she laughed.

"Have you given my offer any more thought, Rose?" Sirius grinned cheekily as her, leaning forward, his eyes glittering mischeviously.

"I'll tell you the same thing I told you when you first asked me two years ago; I'm too old for you" Rosemerta giggled, ignoring the other witches and wizards who were trying to get her attention.

"Only by a few years!" Sirius shot back, and added with a tiny wink, "I like older women."

James had heard this conversation too many times to even pretend to be interested, and turned, instead, to the door, just as it opened, and Lily walked in, laughing, followed by Mary and some other Gryffindor girls, who were also giggling, and laughed louder still as they caught sight of James. Though he was annoyed at the mysterious giigling, he smiled broadly at the girls.

"All right, Evans?" He said, his tone deeper, more preasent and mature that it was when he talked to his friends, "I see you can't keep away from me, and I can't say I blame you."

"This is a public pub, Potter," sighed Lily, though her mouth twitched slightly.

"Fancy a butterbeer? It's on me," Said James, putting his arm around Lily, as he giggling friends went off to get a table, and sat at the far end of the pub where Remus and Wormtail were sitting and watching Lily and James curiously.

"No, I can get my own, thanks," replied Lily cooly, shrugging off his arm. "Hello Rosemerta. Four butterbeers, please." she went for her money bag, but James jumped in, insisting that he'll pay.

Lily raised an eyebrow, "you're not fooling anyone with all this 'gentlemanly' behaviour, Potter, and stalking me everywhere I go is not going to help, especially when I find out how you're doing it..." She picked up her butterbeers, and walked off to find her friends.

"You know you love it, Evans!" James shouted after her.

"Still not giving up?" Rosemerta smiled at him, having witnessed this sort of behaviour for over three years.

"Nah, she'll give in any day now, you'll see..." James stared after Lily for a moment, then winked at Rosemerta, and walked towards where Lily and her friends were sitting. Rolling her eyes, she turned back to Sirius, who was leaning against the bar on one elbow, determined to get back into conversation.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hi!" James grinned widely at Lily, sitting down next to her, as all around them their classmates divided up into pairs.

"What now, potter?" Lily sighed, wondering if he was goingt to ask her out again.

"I'm your partner for this wonderfull lesson we are about to have!" Said James, absolutely beaming as he shuffled closer to her along the bench.

"Very funny," said Lily, taking her wand out and moving furthur down the bench away from James. "I'm working with Mary." She nodded towards the pretty brunette who was standing behind James, smiling slightly.

"Move over, Potter, I'm working with Lily," she said loudly.

"NO!" James yelled loudly, wrapping his arms around Lily, and holding her close to him, so that her face was squashed against his chest and her shouting was muffled.

"Potter!" Lily shouted, having finally managed to break free of his grip.

James looked to the back of the classroom quickly, and widened his eyes at Sirius, who took the hint and was there instantly.

"Hey Mary. Fancy me?" Said Sirius, smirking slightly.

"What?" Mary said quickly, turning around and positively glowing scarlet to see Sirius Black standing there, talking to her.

"I _said,_ do you fancy working with me?" He motioned to an empty desk at the far end of the room.

"Oh! Err... well, I was actually going to work with Lily..." muttered Mary, her voice trailing off uselessly.

"What? James is working with her..."

"Oh! Yes, I suppose he is... erm, ok then..." she turned and meekly followed Sirius, who had grabbed hold of her hand and was leading them towards a secluded desk.

"Well, looks like we havn't got any choice now, doesn't it?" James beamed, as Lily stared at him, stony-faced, unable to believe Mary would betray her so easily.

"I'll go first, shall I?" Smiled James, sitting up straight, as he shuffled even closer Lily "it looks like you need it..."

"Move _away _Potter!" Lily growled, and sent him sliding along to the far end of the benchwith a flick of her wand. James stared at her reaproachfully, but she didn't say anything.

He cleared his throat as Lily looked at the wand in his hand mistrustingly.

"_Letificos!"_

_"Protectego!"_

Lily had raised a sheild charm just as James said the incantation for the cheering charm.

James sat up, having flung himself out of the way when his own spell deflected at him. "What's the matter? Don't trust me?"

"No!" Lily said, slightly abashed; she had thought he was going to jinx her.

"Come on, Evans, you know it hurts when you show you don't like me." James said with a sad puppy-dog look at Lily.

The corners of Lily's mouth twitched, though she didn't actually smile.

"Sorry.. ok, let's try again... but Potter, if you jinx me, I will make you very sorry indeed." Lily threatened.

"Ooh, it's almost worth jinxing you to find out what you'll do to me... I'm joking, I'm joking!" He added hastily, for Lily glowered at him.

Half an hour later, the Charms class was filing out, most grinning broadly, though some were in hysterical fits of laughter, and could barely walk. Mary was one of those hysterical ones, clinging onto the sleeve of Sirius's robes to keep herself upright. Sirius looked annoyed, his nose crinkled slightly as he attempted to coax her off him.

"Mary... Mary, let go... these are new robes, you idiotic toad, you're messing them up! Oh, what're you going to do, jinx me?" He added in a bored voice as Mary produced her wand, still laughing fit to burst. "Yeah, I'd like to see you try in that state... look, will you just _let go?!"_

Slightly ahead of them, James was walking next to Lily, taking advantage of the fact that Mary was in too much of a state to walk with her.

"So, Evans, I didn't jinx you... do you feel bad that you ever doubted me?" James asked, beaming painfully.

"No!" Lily laughed, "I still think you're an arrogant, self--"

"Now now, let's not get all personal... you know you love me _really!_" He put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him.

"I do _not!"_

"Ok, Ok... I believe you... so! What are you doing next weekend?"

"Going into Hogsmead, like usual," Said Lily, too affected with the cheering charm to be suspicious of the question and his arm as she usually was.

"Me too! Fancy going together?" James asked, a cheeky smile on his lips.

"No!"

"Oh, come on..."

"_No _James!" Lily said, still smiling, as they made their way down to the dungeons.

"You know you want to..." He said, then stopped. "Hey! You called me James!" He looked as surprised as Lily felt.

"Yeah, yeah..." Lily pretended to wave the comment away, and rushed to her desk as soon as the dungeon door opened.

"I think she likes me..." sniggered James as Sirius and Remus sat on either side of him.

"Settle down, settle down..." called Professor Slughorn from the front of the class. "Now then... today we will be continuing with our sleeping draughts, which should have matured over the weekend, however, if we finish in time, I shall show you a special potion... a rare and _enticing_ treat as I'm sure you'll all agree! Off you go!"

With five minutes until the end of the lesson, James had tidied up without singing anyone's robes, Sirius tied with Lily for the top of the class, Peter had destroyed his 7th cauldron and had no idea how he'd done it, and Remus had managed to concentrate on his potion despite the many loud bangs that were emitted from Peter's cauldron throughout the whole lesson.

"Gather round, gather round!" Called Slughorn, smiling as brightly as the students who had come from Charms still were. "Now then... wait here, I'll go and get it!"

The class exchanged curious looks as the Professor waddled to his storeroom and brought out a cauldron with a mother-of-pearl sheen, that was emitting translucent curls of steam. James had never smelt anything so suductive; fresh breeze, the woody scent of a new broom, and a light flowery smell that he recognised as the perfume that Lily was usually wearing.

He looked around at Lily, whose eyes were wide, and cheeks were flushed.

"Anyone know what this is?" Asked Slughorn cheerfully.

A few people raised their hands, smiling broadly, or looking else looking slightly embarassed.

"Exellent, exellent... now, I want a foot and a half on what this potion is, what it does and why it is highly dangerous...class dismissed" He added as the bell rang.

The class walked out, talking loudly, some with a blissful smile, most still over-cheerful, despite it having been over an hour since the charms lesson.

"Why were you so embarassed in there, Evans?" James demanded cheerfully, putting his arm around Lily's shoulders.

"I wasn't _embarassed!"_ Lily tried to snap. "Oh, damn! I forgot my cauldron... what is the matter with me?!" She turned right around and headed back to the dungeons, and James followed.

The room was empty, except for the cauldron full of the mother-of pearl-like potion, which was on the front desk, right where Slughorn had left it. James breathed deeply, and said, "have you ever smelt anything so good?"

"You little narcissist!" Lily laughed, as she shrank her caulrdon and stuffed it in her bag.

"What?" James was confused.

"You have never smelt anything so good... never smelt anything like yourself..." though Lily was laughing, her eyes were oddly bright and her pupils huge, her cheeks glowing...

"I think you're a bit messed up, Evans... I can't smell _me-"_

"Oh yeah?" Lily stood frozen, as James moved slowly towards her, her nostrils still filled with that seductive scent of--

"Yeah... I can smell lilies..." James was now right in front of her, his head lowering, his lips just millimeters away from hers, he could feel the heat raidiating from her, hear her unusually shallow breaths...

James returned to the Gryffindor common room fifteen minutes later, feeling stunned, with a stupid half-smile on his face as the Cheering Charm was starting to wear off. He had fully expected it to be almost empty, and though his friends were still at dinner, so was therefore annoyed and surprised to find all three of them sitting by the common room fire, talking loudly and laughing even louder.

"What happened?" Asked Sirius as James sat down and tried to wipe the stupid smile off his face. "Where did you go with Evans?" He smirked sugestively.

"Fifteen minutes, Padfoot, what do you take me for?!" James snapped.

"Relax!" Said Remus, "err... what did you do?"

"I cornered her in the dungeons after she went back for her cauldron..." Said James, feeling depressed,

"REALLY?!" Sirius had sat up, "no... she finally gave in? Is she blind?" He ducked as James threw a sneakoscope at him, and they heard it smash against a wall.

"No." Said James dully, "well, almost... then that idiot friend of hers came barging in with Slughorn..."

"Bad luck Prongs..." Sirius smiled, "next time, yeah?"

"Yeah..." James stared wistfully into the fire, a tight knot had formed in is stomach as he thought of Lily and how he had almost kissed her... Suddenly, he broke his gaze from the flames, and turned to his friends, who were watching him with a curious expression of their face, with the exception of Wormtail, who looked slightly sulky. "So! Only three days to the full moon..."


	4. Chapter 4

"There is more than meets the eye... I see the soul that is inside..." Said Mary, her voice misty and hushed, she twirled her hands in a ballerina-like way as she pranced around Lily, swishing her hair around unnessecerily.

"Stop it!" Snapped Lily, who was looking in the mirror at her reflection wearing dazzeling green dress robes and found her friends new voice and attitude annoying and distracting. "I need to alter these robes for Slughorn's Christmas party..."

"Ooh, so_rry_," Mary continued to prance around Lily, "I should have realised you wanted to look pretty for James!" She did a kind of swoon, with her hands crosed on her chest and her eyelashes batting madly

"Mary, I'm warning you..." Lily growled, frowning at the hem of her robes.

"Well, you're in _denial, _Lily, _denial!"_ Mary said dramatically and spund her friend around and grabbed her by the shoulders, looking her straight in the eye, she widened her own eyes to their full extent. "I have Seen... you and James will be married with three children..." she let go of Lily and backed away, spreading her arms wide and hunching her shoulders in a way someone would mime somebody being wide or fat. "Three! The first one will be--_aargh!" _Mary screamed.

Lily had thrown a pillow in her face, and went back to raising her hem.

"Those Divination lessons are a waste of time and are turning you into a complete idiot!" Lily sighed, "I mean, look at you! You're off your toadstool, you are, raving on about me and James getting married and Remus getting married to a Nymph and Bellatrix ending up in Azkaban... well that sounds almost sane compared to the rest of the rubbish!"

"Lily, Lily, Lily... you cannot See because your mind is too - forgive me - narrow and the outside energies that buzzes around the school like a horde of Doxies do not help..." Mary's voice was hushed and misty again as she flung herself down onto the bed and stretched. "Seriously though, James is absolutely besotted with you... surely you noticed?"

"Of course I noticed, he's been asking me out for about five years--"

"--six!"

"--whatever... but it doesn't stop him from being a completely big-headed twat--"

"James does not resemble a pregnant fish!"

"--who is so aro-- what? Pregnant fish?" Lily turned around to stare at her friend incrediously, absolutely convinced that she had finally snapped. "Do you want to see Madam Pomfrey, Mary?"

"No! It just means - what you said - about James --"

"James Potter is a vile toad who's head is so swollen that I wonder how he manages to fit into the Great Hall." Lily pursed her lips, examining the now slightly shorter robe with satisfaction.

"Even toads can turn out to be charming Princes... havn't you ever read those Muggle fairy-tales?"

"That's different." Lily took her dress robes off, putting them carefully back into her wardrobe.

"How is it? Ok, so it's a fairy tale, but the principle's the same..." Mary got off the bed and stood in the middle of the room, hands on hips. "The fact of the matter is that James loves you are too narrow-minded to see what's in front of you!"

Lily tried to ignore her as she puther ordinary black robes on, feeling at the end of her tether.

"You love him!" Mary cried dramatically.

"I do not!" Lily said, outraged, her eyes wide.

"Oh yeah?" Mary smirked, looking smug. "What I have seen contradicts your statement, Lily! who was it, in the dungeons about two weeks ago that I had walked in on snogging James Potter?"

"_I was not snogging him_!" Snarled Lily, putting her shoes on.

"You liar! I saw you!" She pointed at Lily. "So did Slughorn!"

Lily had reached the end of her temper. Whipping out her wand, she straightened up and cried _"Levicorpus!"_

Instantly, Mary was hoisted up into the air, hanging comically by her ankle, displaying luminous pink underwear.

"Let me down!" Mary shouted, slowly turning red as all the blood rushed to her head.

"No!" Lily went to the door, and just before she shut it behind her, she said, "you can hang there until you accept that I did not snog Potter and shut up about me marrying him!"

Lily slammed the door and walked down the spiral staircase to the common room, trying to ignore Mary's muffled shouts of "LET ME DOWN! LET ME DOWN!"


	5. Chapter 5

James, Sirius and Peter walked as they joked and pushed each other around down the sloping lawns towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where Professor Kettleburn was already entertaining a group of students that had got to the lesson early. Nearby, the huge gamekeeper Hagrid was shiftily hanging around outside his hut, writhing his hands and shooting anxious looks at Professor Kettleburn and then at the Forest, and jumping every time someone laughed loudly.

James spotted Lily at the back of the group, arms folded, looking determinedly away from her former friend, Mary, who's left eye was twitching. A sudden thought occurred to him, and James ran the remaining few feet towards Lily, grabbed her around her waist from behind and spun her around, laughing as she shrieked in surprise and fear.

"As you can see, the Kipper will obviously— well, really! That's enough now! Potter! Release Evans immediately! Release her, I say!" Professor Kettleburn shouted, annoyed at being interrupted again, cursing silently the day he agreed to take Potter back in and allow him to stay in the class after what happened in the lake three years ago. The thought still gave him migraines...

Lily had finally broken free of his grasp, and was facing him, her eyes wide and livid; she kept a good distance away from James as the rest of the class roared with laughter.

"One of these days Potter, you will push me too far, and I will kill you!" Lily hissed as James sat down next to her to draw the Kipper, which was standing conveniently still, thanks to Sirius putting a freezing charm on it.

"Looking forward to it." James flashed her a wide smile as he shuffled closer. "What happened to us being on first-name terms, Evans?"

"Shut up." Lily was trying to concentrate on drawing the Kipper as she wondered why they needed to know about the damn useless things.

"It's your birthday next week..." James whispered as Professor Kettleburn hovered nearby, frowning at their motionless Kipper.

"Mr Black, what have you done your Kipper?" The Professor asked suspiciously, wondering if the creature was dead.

"Is it? I had _no _idea!" Lily replied under her breath sarcastically.

"I don't know... maybe it's just being nice to us and standing still for us, unlike its little brothers and sisters who are running amok, sir." Sirius motioned innocently to the rest of the class, who were trying to draw their own writhing Kippers.

"OUCH!! IT BIT ME! IT BIT ME, SIR! LOOK, SIR, _IT BIT ME!!"_ Screamed Mary, jumping up and down and shaking her hand out in front of her.

"What is the matter with her?" James asked conversationally, "they haven't even got teeth."

"Wormtail! You've been in my sweets drawer again! I'll kill you! Come here you little rat!!" James shouted, as he lunged for his wand and aimed at Wormtail, who has trying to hide behind Remus, who in turn was trying to study.

"_LEVICORPUS!"_ Shouted James, trying to aim, but got distracted by the Marauders Map. "Oh, blimey! Sorry mate," he half laughed as Remus was hoisted up into the air and then went crashing down as he waved his wand again.

"It's alright, it's not like I was trying to recover from the full moon or anything." Remus replied darkly, as he lay down on his bed again, too tired to make a fuss or jinx James back.

"Look! She's down at the Quidditch pitch! Alone..." James added as he scanned the Map. "Oho! _Oho!"_

"Careful mate, you're starting to sound like Slughorn," smirked Sirius, sitting up and looking over at James, who wasn't even listening as he rummaged through his trunk.

"Thanks dad," James stood up at last and held his invisibility cloak out in front of him, "for the greatest gift of all..."

"Where are you going?" Wormtail yelped after him as James wrapped the cloak around himself and his head bobbed off to the door, then it too, disappeared.

"How thick _are _you Wormtail?" Sirius shook his head as he picked up the Marauders Map and watched as James's dot as it left the common room. "Lily is down at the Quidditch pitch, _alone _and Prongs goes shooting after her. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what he's up to."

Wormtail blinked and continued to stare at Sirius in the hopes of getting further information.

"Oh, for..." Sirius rolled his eyes. "He's going to try his luck again. With Evans. Down at the Quidditch pitch...?"

Wormtail frowned in a confused way.

"Stop that, Wormy, it's starting to annoy me." Sirius snapped as Wormtail continued to stare at him blankly. "_Tarangellanta!"_

James ran to the broom cupboard and took his broomstick out, then glanced over to the pitch, wondering if Lily was still there. God, she was stunning, and an opportunity like this, where she was all alone at the Quidditch pitch was just too good to miss. He frowned for a moment as he wondered _why _she was down here alone in the evening, but shrugged it off. Lily Evans was here, just a mere few feet away from him. His stomach flipped with excitement and he shoved the invisibility cloak into the cupboard and locked it. Walking to the entrance, broom in hand, his other hand jumped up to his hair impulsively, making it messier that it usually was.

"Evans! Evening! What on earth are you doing here?" James asked brightly in mock surprise, his hand jumping to his hair again.

"How did you know I was here?" Lily asked quietly, standing perfectly still and unsmiling.

This unnerved him slightly, the calculating was she was looking at him, her eyes darting all over the place, yet she didn't move, just stood there, leaning on one leg with her hands behind her back.

"I didn't!" James said too loudly, "I just thought I'd come down for an evening fly, we've got a match against Slytherin coming up, you know..." His voice trailed off as she still didn't crack a smile, her face bathed in scarlet light from the setting sun, and her hair looked redder than usual.

"You're stalking me, Potter." Lily said, moving closer to him, gazing coldly into his eyes, making him feel uncomfortable, "do you think it's an accident that I'm down here? That I'm alone? I know you're watching me somehow, and I want to find out why."

"I'm not _watching _you Evans, I just felt like coming down here for a little fly around, I love my new broomstick, 0-97 in two point—" James gibbered, running his hand through his hair, while noticing how close she was to him, and fighting an almost overwhelming urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her.

"Without your fans for company to show off to?" Lily asked coldly.

"Oh, well, I'm very shy, I wouldn't want to embarrass myself in front of them, I like a quiet life, you know me, keep out of the spotlight and quietly get on..."

Lily's mouth twitched and she almost smiled, and looked down, breaking her cold gaze.

"What? You don't believe me?" James laughed, cocking his head and bending down slightly to try and get her eye contact again, he noticed a small smile. "Remember our first flying lesson? Six years ago... oh my god, I feel so _old!" _

Lily looked up then, smiling widely in spite of herself, her eyes no longer resembling icebergs, but shone brightly as she looked up at James.

"You hit me over the head with your broom, do you remember?" James massaged the side of his head as though she'd only just hit him moments ago, rather than six years.

"I was never much of a flyer," Lily said, embarrassed at the memory.

"Rubbish! You're good. Come on, I'll prove it." James held his hand out and Lily looked startled and backed away slightly.

"Oh no, you don't Potter! I'm never leaving the ground for as long as I live, especially on a broom of all things!" Lily said, her eyes wide as she eyed the broom suspiciously.

"It's alright, you can go on with me!" James smiled and left his broom hovering in mid air as he moved closer and held his hands out to Lily. "It'll probably hold the both of us, you're safe with me..."

"_Probably_ hold us?" Lily asked in disbelief, amazed that James was bigheaded enough to think that she'd get on a broomstick with him. But as she looked into his eyes, her stomach jolted and she felt as though hot electricity was running through her veins instead of blood. "Alright, Potter. You're on." 

Lily held her hand out, which shook slightly, James noticed as he grabbed it and pulled her towards the broom.

James got on behind Lily and held on to the broom, his hands just millimetres away from her own white-knuckled ones. "Here goes..." he said softly in her ear, as he kicked off from the ground, feeling how tense she was, loving how close he'd finally got to her.

"Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no, no..." Lily muttered as James guided the broom through the air, gaining speed and height rapidly.

"Relax!" James laughed, breathing in that wonderful, flowery lily smell as he rested his chin on her shoulder, partly to avoid having her hair blow into his face. As he sped up, Lily grabbed onto his wrists, half laughing as the wind blew into her face, feeling exhilarated, adrenalin pumping through her body.

"Woo hoo!" Lily whooped as they gained height, then began to scream as they dropped suddenly, plummeting, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty feet through the air, then gliding into a smooth landing.

James laughed as Lily gasped in shock.

"I- you! Oh! I cannot _believe- _that- was- so-" Lily spluttered.

"Brilliant? Exciting? Fun?" James suggested, grinning widely. "I told you you'd be safe, didn't I?"

"You call that _safe?!"_ Lily asked in disbelief, taking deep breaths.

"We're still alive, aren't we?" James pulled her into a one armed half-hug half-headlock as they headed out of the stadium.

Lily laughed, still not believing she had just done that, more to the point, she could not believe she enjoyed that... with James Potter of all people... yet maybe it was _because _it was James that she felt the way she did. He was a bigheaded idiot, unbelievably arrogant, so why did she find herself enjoying his company and thinking about random snippets of 'conversation' that they'd had, memories which sometimes turned into daydreams she would not be telling anyone about...

"I'll be right back, just need to put the broom back... wait here!" James said and headed off towards the broom shed.

Lily stared after him as he disappeared into the darkness, her head to one side, a small smile on her face, thinking about how wonderful it would be to spend whole evenings in his skinny, yet surprisingly strong arms. Lily shook herself suddenly, annoyed that she'd let her thoughts wander off in that direction again.

She smiled as James came back only a minute later, and Lily blushed furiously as she caught sight of his bulging robes, feeling embarrassed and not knowing what to do with herself, and for the remainder of the trip back up to the castle, tried her hardest not to look at James, and when they finally got back up to the common room, she rushed off up the Girls' staircase with a quick "goodnight"

Sirius looked up from the _Motorcycles Monthly _as James crashed back into the room and immediately noticed his bulging robes. He looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"Have fun?"

"Oh, shut up" James snapped, pulling his invisibility cloak out from under his robes. "I didn't realise what I looked like until Evans saw me and practically turned puce. Stupid thing. I couldn't leave it at the Quidditch pitch, or wear it, and my pockets were stuffed with all that Bouncing Bibbeletes that you gave me..." He sighed and shook his head, running both hands through his hair and resting his hands on top of his head.

"Well, if it's any comfort, they say that things look worse in the morning..." Piped up Wormtail, sticking his head out through the hangings of his four poster bed.

"How is that meant to make me feel better??" Snapped James, lying down on his bed and sticking a pillow over his face. "And who are _they,_ anyway?"

"Relax Prongs, she can't think any worse of you than she already does," laughed Sirius, deflecting the pillow that James had thrown at him with a flick of his wand.

"Thanks... She said I was stalking her."

"You are," Remus pointed out.

"She wanted to know how I was doing it," James was looking straight ahead, looking slightly shell-shocked for some reason.

"You didn't tell her about the Map though, did you??" Sirius sat up quickly, sending his magazine flying to the ground.

"Nah..." James sighed then yawned hugely.

"Good..." Sirius waved his wand, making his magazine fly back up onto the bed again.

"You are so _lazy_ Padfoot!" Remus said, shaking his head, "it would have taken you about three seconds longer to pick it up."

"Why have a wand if you're not going to use it? Why have a motorbike if you're not going to use it? Why have a p-?"

"Sirius, shut up," Remus yawned, stretching.

"Oh, I cannot _wait _until breakfast..." Sniggered Sirius, this time deflecting an oncoming _Standard Book of Spells, Grade 7._


	6. Chapter 6

"So, we just go in, grab some toast and go, right? Badda bing, badda boom," Lily said, twisting her fingers anxiously as she made her way down to the Great Hall with Mary, who was now talking to her again.

"Lily, you don't have to be _so_ embarrassed, it's only natural that he-"

"Stop! Please Mary, for once; do not give me the benefit of your 'experience', OK?" Lily cut across her. "Don't look at me like that, I meant it in the nicest way possible... three days... three days! Oh no. Oh no. Oh no... What is he going to do? He mentioned my birthday in Care of magical creatures... remember what he did last year? Oh nooooo... if he hires a band of trolls in tutus to sing 'Happy Birthday' then I shall go mad and make him grow cheese out of his ears-"

"_Lily_!" Mary grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her rather violently. "Calm down! There will be no trolls! There will be no tutus! There will be no cheese! You are going to have a nice birthday on Sunday and then you will be a fully grown witch."

Lily trembled slightly, then took a deep breath and tried to pull herself together. She had done a magnificent job of avoiding James Potter this past week and he didn't seem as keen as he usually was to be around her, perhaps he was losing interest? The though filled her with a surprising sickening sad feeling, confusing her further. Why did she have to turn into such a nervous wreck at the mere thought of him?

"Ready?" without waiting for an answer, Mary shoved Lily into the Great Hall.

Lily plastered a bright smile onto her face as she walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down, piling porridge and toast in front of her, but touching nothing.

"Sure you've got enough food there, Evans?" Lily looked up to see Sirius smiling at her, as he, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew sat down nearby. She couldn't help noticing that James wasn't there.

"Hiiiiii Sirius..." Mary sighed, giving him a little wave, Lily saw that Sirius looked like a panicked and trapped animal suddenly.

"Err... yeah, fine; we were just getting some toast, goodbye..." Sirius said smoothly, standing up rather suddenly and hauling Peter to his feet, ignoring his protests of "But I'm _hungry_!" Lupin gave them a small smile and followed the pair out of the Hall.

"Kill me..." Lily moaned, hiding her face in her hands. "Me and James have to patrol the corridors tonight... what the hell am I meant to _do_? What am I meant to _say_?!"

"Look, you've made your point, you hate Potter-"

"I do not _hate_ him, I just... "

"Love him?"

"Oh, I don't know!" Lily leaned on her hand, watching the table absently, when she saw a piece of toast rise of its own accord and disappears from view. She sat up suddenly, blinking.

"Mary... did you see that?"

"See what?"

"The toast..."

"What about it?" Mary frowned.

"It just rose up and disappeared!!"

"No... Maybe it's just one of the ghosts or something...?"

"Yeah... maybe..." Lily said absently, feeling apprehensive. Had she imagined it? Was it really a ghost? Did ghosts even become invisible? She sighed, getting to her feet and abandoning her untouched breakfast. "I'm going to potions... you coming?"

"No, I'm hungry," Mary said, stuffing her mouth with sausages, eggs and fried tomatoes.

Grimacing slightly, Lily said bye and walked out of the Great Hall. What was the matter with her? Was she going mad? First she nearly kissed Potter, then she jinxed her best friend, then she went on a broomstick with him, and now she appeared to be hallucinating. So preoccupied she was with her thoughts, Lily walked headlong into Severus Snape.

"Oh, hiya Sev..."

"Hi Lily..."

There was a very nasty, awkward pause.

"Well, see you, I've got potions..." Mumbled Lily and made her way down the stone steps towards the dungeons.

JPLE

"She loves me!" James took his invisibility cloak off with a flourish and Wormtail screamed at his sudden appearance.

"She said that?" Sirius asked in surprise as they walked out of the empty classroom together and made their way down to the dungeons.

"Well, she said she didn't _hate_ me..." James looked fondly off into the distance. He'd have to be extra nice to her tonight during their patrolling duties, win the Quidditch cup on Saturday and on Sunday; the sky would be the limit...

JPLE

"Prongs? Prongs! _James!_" Sirius nearly shouted

"Huh?" James wrenched himself back into reality.

"Wake up! Quidditch in an hour, you should have been up ages ago, you idiot!"

"I _have_ been up for ages..." James muttered, throwing back his covers and looking around for his clothes blurrily.

"So what the heck have you been doing then?" Sirius flicked his wand, making James' glasses fly towards him and poke him in the eye.

"_OUCH_!" James cursed at Sirius. "What did you do that for?!"

"To make absolutely sure that you were listening to what I'm about to say: Lily's birthday is tomorrow, and if you want to stand a chance then you need to win today! I'm sure your fantasies were... interesting... but it'll be nothing compared to the real thing, eh, Prongs? Now get up and eat something, you're wasting away!" Sirius suddenly stopped, "Oh god, I sound like a mother!"

Chuckling, James pulled on his scarlet Quidditch robes and messed up his hair more than usual out of nerves. "I always win, Padfoot...Let's go."

James arrived in the Great Hall with Sirius 5 minutes later to loud cheers from the Gryffindor table. Smiling broadly at everyone, he strutted over to where the rest of the team were sitting, and helped himself to some toast.

"OK team, pitch, now!" James led his teammates out of the Hall, his broom over his shoulder, and people cheered again.

"Nice bright day! A good omen! Be sure to take an early lead, Bones, Fawcett and Peakes! Alright, get changed, we've got a match to win!" James walked around the pitch once, and by the time he got back to the changing room, his team had changed into their scarlet robes and were chattering excitedly.

"The whole school's out there!" Patricia Oswald said excitedly, looking out at the stands, where people were taking their places, shouting and cheering, waving banners d flags around as the cool wind blew their hair all over the place.

"They always are, its Quidditch!" James said, "5 minutes to go... OK team, as I've already said, take an early lead, it won't be difficult, I've seen the idiots Capulet's put together this year, though you two," he looked at Matthew Gray and Richard Flint, the beaters, "he's got Montague and Vintress as the beaters, who are ridiculously big, so be sure that they don't collide with you, otherwise you'll probably be killed... OK! Get your brooms, our fans await us!"

Laughing, the team made their way out to the pitch, where they were met with tremendous applause, Gryffindor supporters were screaming, whistling and cheering, jumping up and down, waving banners with "Lions for the cup" on them which roared realistically, and James beamed at them, a thrill of anticipation and excitement running down his spine as he led the Gryffindor team across the pitch to the centre.

"Potter, Capulet, shake hands!" madam Hooch, the new Quidditch teacher and referee barked, barely hiding her own grin.

James shook Capulet's hand and smirked at him, just to let him know that they didn't stand a chance.

"On your brooms!" the fourteen players mounted their broomsticks as madam Hooch got onto hers. Hovering about a foot off the ground, she kicked open the crate, blew her whistle and threw the 

quaffle up into the air. The teams kicked off from the ground, the two keepers shooting off at opposite ends of the pitch, the seekers soaring up high at an alarming speed, looking as though they were fired from a giant champagne bottle, squinting around for the snitch, whilst trying to keep up with the commentary.

"And they're off! Potter has made some dramatic changes to the team since being made captain two years ago, the Gryffindors odds are to win, no surprise there, being widely acknowledged as the best team for years, also the best looking team, rumour has it," Beatrice Brown, a fifth year Ravenclaw was commentating, or rather shouting over the crowd. "So, it's Capulet in possession, going off to the Gryffindor end, ooh, nice interception there by Bartimaeus Bones of Gryffindor, wow, he can fly! That was close; I don't know what Montague thinks he's doing... Nice little swerve there – THAT WAS DELIBERATE!!"

Archibald Vintress, the Slytherin beater had just collided with Bartimaeus Bones, sending him falling towards the ground, knocked out. Madam Hooch gave a sharp blow of her whistle.

James watched in horror as madam Pomfrey drew up a stretcher and took Bones off the pitch, he felt stupefied at having lost one player so early on in the game. Looks like he'd have to get an early catch, or he would suffer his first defeat since joining the Gryffindor Quidditch team six years ago.

"So, Alana Peakes takes the penalty, and puts it away ridiculously easily, ten zero to Gryffindor. Gryffindor in possession, Fawcett streaking towards the goalpost, nice whack at the bludger from Gray – FLINT, BEHIND YOU! Ooh, a very close miss that Slytherin in possession – no, Gryffindor in possession – no Sly- no Gryffindor – oh for-! Slytherin in possession, _this isn't a rollercoaster ride, Lyphias_! – Gryffindor's Peakes takes the Quaffle - She shoots, SHE SCORES! Twenty – naught to Gryffindor! Slytherin takes the Quaffle – come on, Moran, save it, save it! YES! I DON'T BELIEVE IT, _SHE SAVES IT_!"

The Gryffindors cheered loudly again, then gasped and screamed with excitement as they watched the two seekers shooting towards the ground, looking as though they'd jumped out of aeroplanes, then at the last moment, two feet away from the ground, James pulled out of the dive and went spiralling upwards, his hand raised in triumph.

"Has he got the snitch? HE'S GOT THE SNITCH! _POTTER'S CAUGHT THE SNITCH_! GRYFFINDOR WIN!" Beatrice screamed, and cheered along with the other Gryffindor supporters. "A hundred and seventy point to nothing! Ha haaaa! Six years in a row, I give you the wonderful, the unbeatable, Gryffindor team! We all knew Potter could do it! YES!" she continued to shout the results and praise the Gryffindor team, and high up in the air, James Potter found himself in the middle of a group hug. Half suffocated; he flew down to the pitch, where the Gryffindors had run out to greet them, cheering madly and jumping up and down. As James accepted the Quidditch Cup from the Headmaster and lifted the Cup up high for all to see, he caught Lily Evans' eye, and beamed, if possible, even more.

The Gryffindor team were lifted up by the crowd, and carried through the castle, singing and yelling themselves hoarse. Up in the Gryffindor common room, the music from an old Wireless Wizarding Radio was blearing out the debut single from a band called the Weird Sisters, and firewhisky, butterbeer, gillywater was being passed out from a mysterious source, though everyone was 

enjoying themselves too much to worry about where it had come from. Celebrations lasted well into the night, and it was only the fat lady threatening to get Professor McGonagall that made them go reluctantly to bed, though some who had had too much firewhisky were already asleep in the chairs in front of the fire.

"Happy birthday!" Trilled Mary, pulling back the curtains of Lily's four poster bed. Lily sat up, smiling sleepily, the euphoria at having won the Quidditch cup and knowing that it was her birthday made her feel floaty and happy, as though nothing could bother her today.

"Thank you," she croaked, the conjured up a glass of water and drank it. "Is that for me?" she sounded more normal as she pointed at a carefully wrapped package on Mary's bed.

"Of course it is! Come on, open it, open it!" Mary clapped her hands in her usual over-excited manner, smiling widely.

Lily tore off the paper, to reveal a book, the cover bound in deep red velvet, with the title stamped across it in gold lettering.

"A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love?" Lily read the title, "by Celestina Warbeck... what's this all about?" she frowned.

"It is the _best_ book in the world! It's got _everything_ in it, from enchanting wizards and warlocks, to the best-"

"Oh, yes..." Lily giggled as she read the back of the book, and got the gist of what it was about. "Thanks Mary." Lily hugged her tightly, then got up and got dressed.

As they walked across the common room to go to breakfast, various people who were nursing hangovers greeted her with a "Happy birthday!" and a smile. A quick sweep of the common room (which was now spotlessly clean) told her that James wasn't there, and neither were any of his friends. Slightly disappointed, she climbed out through the portrait hole, thinking about what she would do in Hogsmead, and looking forward to buying her first legal drink. All in all, it was a very pleasant day, the weather was wonderful, and Lily and her friends spent the day laughing and chatting as they shopped and stopped off at the Three Broomsticks, where Madam Rosemerta gave Lily a free gillywater.

It was almost six when they finally returned the castle, laughing and hungry, still slightly light-headed, they made their way up to the Gryffindor tower, where Mary had arranged a "surprise" birthday party for her. Lily climbed through the portrait hole first, and was greeted by a scream of "SURPRISE!" as several fireworks went off. Laughing, she walked into the room, where people shoved birthday cards, presents, flowers and chocolate frogs into her hands. It was some time before she got near enough to one of the tables to put all her birthday greeting on it. Music was blaring out again, though it kept cutting off at random times, and a fifth year sat next to the radio, poking his wand at it, trying to make it work properly, but it seemed too exhausted from yesterday to play properly today.

Lily walked over to the middle of the common room, where Sebrina was waving to her with a gillywater.

"Happy birthday!" She squealed, giving Lily a hug and spilling the gillywaters.

"Thanks, maybe you should go and sit down...?"

"I should!" Sebrina said loudly with a slight hiccup, and laughing for no apparent reason, she went staggering off to the sofas and chairs next to the fire where she fell into a sixth year's lap.

The portrait hole opened, and Lily turned around to look at who had come in. A radiant smile lit up her face when she was it was James, heading towards her as his friends went off in another direction. James had a strange expression on his face, smiling slightly, he looked sort of hungry, almost feral. Lily felt an invisible pull somewhere behind her navel, and she knew what he was going to do before he did it. One last thrill of anticipation ran down her spine and James Potter had her in his arms, kissing her.

There was a slight silence, then girls started giggling, boys wolf-whistled and cheered, but James ignored them, and continued to kiss Lily, holding her close. Finally, after what seemed like hours, he pulled back and looked deep into Lily's eyes. "Love you..." he whispered. She beamed and flung her arms around his neck, as James spun her around and around. "Love you too..." Lily whispered back in his ear, and kissed him, feeling on top of the world.


End file.
